Knitting device



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. G. BOWYER KNITTING DEVICE Filed May 51,. 1940 Jan. 20, 1942.

R u. m W F B a W. B B A X c. v wwwwwwww z b. 4 144% G x I 4 Q 0 pig-=5 nun nun 22 INVENTOR BY 4M '1 Jan. 20, 1942. A. G. BOWYER KNITTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 31, 1940 ABE/ G. BOk/Vfi'f? V IN VENTOR I A TTORNE-Y Jan. 20, 1942. A. G. BOWYER KNITTING DEVICE Filed May 51, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1458/5 G. 50 k/YER INVENTOR BY A .1 \j ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 20, 1942 2,270,619 KNITTING DEVICE Abbie G. Bowyer, Los Angeles, Calif, assignor of one-fourth to Samuel E. Fouts, Los Angeles,

Calif.

Application May 31, 1940, Serial No. 338,165

Claims.

This invention relates to devices by means of which numerous kinds of fabrics may be knitted and numerous designs of fabrics may be accurately and rapidly produced by following simple and easily understandable rules of procedure.

In its simpler form, the device comprises an elongated bar of any suitable cross-section, a row of pegs and a parallel row of pins, said rows extending lengthwise of the bar with the pegs adjacent to and parallel with one of the side edges of the bar. The number of pegs in the row will depend upon the length of the bar and upon the spacing of the pegs; and these, in turn, will depend upon the width of the fabric to be knitted and upon the coarseness Or fineness of the mesh. The number of the pins is the same as the number of the pegs, and they are paired with the pegs and set directly opposite the latter. Such a simple device is suitable for the production of the plain and fiat or stockinet fabrics. In the production of less simple fabrics, a modified form of the device is advantageous and, in some cases, necessary. This comprises a pair of bars secured together side by side with a space between them wide enough for the fabric to be passed as it is knitted. This modified form is nothing more than a pair of the simpler forms fastened together in parallel relation with the pegs adjacent the slot which forms the gap between the bars. The two bars may be held rigidly together by any suitable means. The device is made throughout as cheaply and economically as is practicable. For example, the bars may be elongated strips of wood in which one end of the pegs are fixed and in which the pins are driven; or the bars, the pegs and pins may be molded as a single unit from any suitable plastic material.

The accompanying drawings show what I have above referred to as the less simple or modified structure. However, since that structure is made up of a pair of the simpler form, this latter form is clearly illustrated. Further, since the disclosure is required to be so full and complete as to enable one skilled in the art to use the invention the drawings show and the specification will describe how the yarn is manipulated to produce some of the fabrics.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of one end of the double form of the knitting device showing how the yarn is disposed in taking the first step in knitting one design of fabric; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive are detailed views, on an enlarged scale, showing how the yarn is looped about the pegs and pins and about itself to produce a fabric such as is started in Fig. 1; Fig. '7 is a face view of the fabric which is knit as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive; Figs. 8 and 9 are views similar to Fig. 1 showing how the device is threaded for the production of other designs of fabrics; Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. '7

showing the fabric produced by knitting as in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a transverse section through a modified form of the knitter, similar to Fig. 2

but on a smaller scale, and Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but showing another modification.

In Figs. 1 and 2, X and Y are a pair of bars. They are preferably straight and parallel, and they may be made of any suitable material, such as wood. Between them is a gap or slot l2. The bars may be fastened rigidly together in any appropriate way, as by the corrugated fastening devices 13 which are driven into the bars and span the gap l2. Or they may be bolted together and the gap maintained by a sleeve or a set of washers l3 as in Fig. 11. Near each side of the gap and parallel with it are rows of pegs. Assuming that the bars are made of wood, these pegs are preferably also made of wood, like dowel pins, one of the ends of which is fastened within sockets M in the bars. The pegs in the bar X are designated A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and so on alphabetically throughout the series. The bars X and Y will be as long and the number of the pegs as great as may be required for knitting any particular fabric. For knitting large articles, such as sweaters, I have used bars two or even three feet long. It is obvious that shorter bars are more easily handled and it is preferable to use a knitter that is approximately as long as the width of the fabric that is to be knitted. Of course longer bars may be used, in which case some of the pegs will remain idle. In that event it is preferable that the idle pegs be at the ends of the bars. In other words, the

center-line of the fabric should be at the center pegs of the bars. The pegs will be spaced roughly in accordance with the fineness or coarseness of the fabric as will also the grade of the yarn to be employed in knitting. In one knitter which I have used with entire satisfaction in knitting sweaters from coarse or heavy yarn, the pegs are nine-sixteenths of an inch apart and are three-eighths of an inch in diameter. The gap is three-sixteenths of an inch wide and the pegs are one-sixteenth of an inch from the l In Fig. 1, the pegs for the bar Y are designated A, B, C, and so on alphabetically throughout the row. The pins for thebar X are set directly opposite, or substantially opposite, the pegs A, etc., and are designated a, b, c, and so on alphabetically, while the pins for the bar Y are similarly positioned with respect to the pegs A etc. and are designated a, b, c and so on alphabetically. Preferably, a straight line from the center of a pin in bar X to the center of the corresponding pin in bar Y passes through the center of the respective pegs, as shown in Fig. 2,

although slight variation in positions of the pegs and pins will make but little difference in the appearance of the fabric produced. The pins are spaced from theirrespective pegs a distance which is approximately equal to the diameter of the latter. This dimension does not have to be exact. In Fig. 1 it is slightly. greater than the diameter of the peg while in the knitter to which reference has above been made the space between the pin and peg is slightly less than the diameter of the peg. The reason why this variance is permissible will be set forth hereinafter.

The bars X and Y and the pegs which have been described are preferably made of wood and the pins are short nails or brads which are simply driven into the wood. It is obvious, however, that the bars may be cast, each with its pegs and pins in one integral piece. This will not modify in any material way the appearance of the structure as shown in Fig. 1, and no special illustration of it is deemed necessary. However, it is entirely feasible to provide each of the bars with a slideway in its upper surface and to mold a strip carrying the pegs and pins from some suitable plastic material, which strip may be inserted into or withdrawn from the slideway, as in Fig. 11, in which X and Y are the bars, each of which is provided with a groove M in its upper surface and parallel with the side edges. As shown and preferred, these grooves are slightly dove-tailed and they are adapted to form slideways for complementary-shaped strips of some suitable material which have been molded with the pegs and pins as integral parts thereof, the pegs being designated l3 and the pins b This structure makes it possible to use the same bar for any number of strips with differently spaced pegs and pins.

Fig. 12 shows a slightly modified construction in which metal pins b, b, similar to pin b of Fig. 2 are employed with the strip 15 These pins are projected into the mold and, when the strip is cast, their ends become embedded in the plastic material. This has the advantage which is above set forth.

Having set forth the structure of my knitting device, I shall proceed to describe how it may be used to produce two differently knit fabrics. It is to be understood, however, that many other fabrics can be knitted without changing the structure of the knitter. The first method of procedure to be described is that used in knitting the fabric of Fig. 7, and reference will be made to Figs. 1 and 3 to 6, inclusive.

The yarn m is attached, as by a loop-knot, n, to one of the pegs, the loop extending about both the peg and the corresponding pin, as in Fig. 1. This pair of peg and pin is the one which is at one side or the other of the fabric which is to be knitted. It may be at the end of the bar, as indicatecl, or at some other point so selected that the center line of the fabric will be at or near the center peg, as has been stated. In Fig. 1, the

' starting peg and pin are A and a. From this pair,

the yarn is passed across to and about the pair B, b, thence to and about the pair C, c. For a clearer understanding, that part of the yarn which passes across from A to B is designated 0 while the legs of the loop which is passed about b are marked 10- and q. It will be noted that when the wrap about B and b is completed the leg q is under or back of the part 0.

If a plain stockinet type of knitting is to be formed, the wrapping of the yarn that is shown from A, a to C, c is continued to the 'peg and pin on the far side of the fabric. But Fig. 1 shows the knitter threaded up for what is known as purling. That is to say, the stitches are reversed to produce a ribbed appearance. To obtain this purling effect, the yarn is carried over at r to the pegs and pins of bar Y where it is wrapped about peg D and pin d and so on in the same manner as has been described, after which it is carried back to bar X to be wrapped about peg G and pin g. In the set-up which is shown in Fig. 1, the pegs and pins are equally divided between the bars in sets of three. That will produce purls of equal width on both sides of the fabric. It is obvious, however, that the pegs and pins may be differently divided. For example, the wrapping of the yarn may extend about only two pairs of pegs and pins of bar X while it may extend about one, two, three, four or more pairs of bar Y, thus producing purls of different widths on the opposite sides of the fabric.

Having threaded the knitter to the full width of the fabric which is to be knitted, the yarn is carried back to the margin where the threading began and, in so doing, is looped about itself and the pegs and pins in the manner shown in Figs. 3 to 6. These views show any of the sets of three of bar X about which the yarn is threaded. Fig. 1 shows a full set of three pairs of pegs and pins on bar X at the left-hand or starting margin and two pairs only at the right-hand end of the figure. To complete that set of three pairs another pair I, i would be added at the right, as will be understood. Figs. 3 to 6 show the three pairs of pegs and pins at the right-hand margin, and they have the reference characters that are used at the right-hand end of Fig. 1. In Figs. 3 to 6 the right-hand pair of pegs and pins, which is omitted from Fig. 1, is designated, I, i. When the peg I has been reached, the yarn is looped about it and the pin i and is again passed over, around and below I, as in Fig. 3, where it is held by the left hand temporarily under more or less tension. Then, with a suitable instrument, such as an ordinary nut-pick, the loop which extends below the pin i is lifted from that pin, is folded over the yarn m and is hooked over the pin I, as in Fig. 4. The yarn m is thendrawn down from the peg I and is hooked over the pin 1', as in Fig. 5. A pull on the yarn then straightens out the loop which had been hooked over peg I and brings the yarn into the condition shown in Fig. 5 with its free end passing through a loop s between the pegs H and I. The free end of the yarn now passes below the peg H and across the legs 32 and q of the loop which is held by the pin h. Again with the pick the latter loop is lifted from said pin and placed over peg H and the yarn below H is dawn down and hooked over the pin h. This brings the yarn into the condition shown in Fig. 6 except that its free end passes below the peg G just as, in Fig. 5, it passed below the peg H. The loop about G is now lifted and hooked over peg G and the yarn below G is pulled down and below peg g.

This completes one course of-knitting so far as concerns the group of pass G, H and I. It will be understood that if the group D, E and F had been threaded up in the same way as the former group, the knitting would have proceeded in the way described to the last peg A and that the fabric produced would be of the fiat stockinet type. And it may here be stated that if all the groups of pegs and pins on a single one of the bars X or Y were threaded up as are groups A, B and C and G, H

and I, the other bar would only be a hindrance to the knitting. 'The bars X and Y are, therefore, easily separable and the unthreaded bar may be readily removed until needed for the purl knitting.

Referring further to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the yarn is not wrapped about pegs F, E and D, but is carried over from peg C to peg D on bar Y, and so on around pegs E and F with their respective pins. So, when the knitting about pegs G, H and I is finished as in Fig. 6, the yarn m. is carried to the bar Y and is laid over or behind the pegs F, E and D, as is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. The loop around pin ,1" is detached from that pin and is passed over peg F' thereby forming a loop about the yarn which has been transferred to bar Y, and that yarn is drawn back from peg F and hooked about pin f The knitting then proceeds as has been described until it has passed peg D when the yarn is transferred back to bar X at the peg C and the knitting goes on to peg A where the yarn is turned about for another course. Thus, course after course is added to the fabric which is passed downwardly through the gap l2.

A face view of a piece of the fabric which is produced as has been described is shown in Fig. 7. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the purls which are formed on one bar are not in the same vertical plane as are those formed on the other bar. Consequently, the knitted fabric as it emerges from the gap 12 will be waved back and forth transversely and will not appear just as is shown in Fig. 7 where it is shown pulled out fiat. The right-hand half shows the front of one purl, the same comprising two full ribs e and b at the center and two half ribs and d at the side margins of that purl. The full ribs are such as,

is shown in Fig. 6 between the pins 9 and h. The half ribs are formed when the yarn crosses over from bar to bar. Assuming that this purl has been formed on bar X, the purl immediately to its left would be formed on bar Y and its reverse side would be as shown at the left-hand half of Fig. '7 except that the next half rib c also appears. The inventor believes that this is a new design of knitted fabric.

In Fig. 8 there is a somewhat different set-up in which two pairs of pegs and pins in one bar are alternated with two pairs in the opposite bar. The process of knitting is the same as has been described. The fabric produced is not illustrated, but is the same as that of Fig, 7 except that there is but one of the full ribs, a or b being omitted.

Fig. 9 shows still another set-up in which but a single pair of pegs and pins is wrapped on one bar before the yarn is passed over to the other bar. Knitting in the manner above described with this set-up results in the fabric which is shown in Fig. 10 in which the parallel half-ribs e are connected by the threads at right angles to the said ribs.

As stated, many other designs of fabric can be produced on my invention, but it is believed that the examples disclosed are sufficient to enable those, skilled in the art, or even a novice, to use the invention.

It has been stated that the distance between a peg and its corresponding pin does not have to be exact and unvarying. That distance determines the length of the loop p-q which should be reat enough to enable the yarn to be lifted from the pin and looped over the corresponding peg, as in Fig. 6. The main purpose of the pins is, therefore, to assure that sufiicient slack in the yarn will be provided to enable the operator to loop the yarn back over the peg. If this slack is greater than necessary, it can be taken up by pulling on the yarn, If it is less than necessary, the yarn can be pulled backwardly; but in so doing there would be nothing to gauge the amount pulled back and this amount would almost certainly vary from peg to peg and the length of the loops would vary so much as to make the knitting irregular. The pins assure that the loops will be of approximately the same length.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A knitting device which comprises a pair of elongated and parallel bars, means for rigidly holding said bars together with a gap between them, a row of uniformly spaced yarn-engaging members on each of said bars, said rows being on the opposite sides of the said gap and parallel therewith, a row of uniformly spaced yarn-engaging elements on each of said bars, the said members and elements on each bar being in pairs and the number of pairs on one bar being equal to the number of pairs on the other bar and the pairs on one bar being opposed to and in substantially transverse alinement with the corresponding pairs on the other bar.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the yarn-engaging members are peg-like projections on a side of the respective bars.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the yarn-engaging elements are nail-like projections on a side of the respective bars.

4. A deviceas set forth in claim 1 in which the yarn-engaging members and the yarn-engaging elements project in parallel relation from corresponding sides of the respective bars.

5. A knitting device which comprises an elongated bar having a slideway formed in one of its sides, a strip of molded material slidable in said slideway and adapted to be removed therefrom and replaced therein, a row of yarn-engaging members extending longitudinally of said strip and projecting from its outer surface, and a row of yarn-engaging elements also projecting from the said outer surface of the strip said rows being parallel in arrangement for the purpose specified.

6. A knitting device as set forth in claim 5 in which the said members and elements are in pairs transverse of the strip.

7. A knitting device as set forth in claim 5 in which the yarn-engaging members are an integral part of the molded strip.

8. A knitting device which comprises a pair of elongated and parallel bars, means for rigidly holding said bars together with a gap between them, each of said bars having a slideway in one of their corresponding surfaces, a strip of molded material for and slidable within each slideway, a row of yarn-engaging members projected from each of said strips, a row of yarn-engaging elements also projecting from each of said strips and parallel with the rows of members, for the purpose specified.

9. A device as set forth in claim 8 in which the members and the elements are integral parts of the molded strips.

10. A device as set forth in claim 8 in which the members and the elements are in rows transverse to the bars.

ABBIE G. BOWYER. 

